To understand this song, you have to have seen the movie “Ink”. If you haven’t seen it yet, I’ll wait.

…

Have you seen it now?

Good.

I had the good fortune to see this movie when I was TAing at school one summer for one of those highschool-students-taking-a-college-course things. The instructor (who happens to be one of my favorite people for a variety of reasons) would assign the students their work and then put on a movie, because the days were pretty long and the background noise was nice. This movie utterly blew. My. Mind. I love every part of it, from the cinematography to the music to the VFX to the adorable woodenness of some of the acting. This movie is a piece of delicious, delicious art, and I knew I would have to write a song about it at some point.

This summer, I decided to do just that. This is a song for Liev, the Storyteller. I expect at some point there will be a song for Jacob, because there has to be a song for Jacob.

A Long Walk
Lyrics and music by Katt McConnell
Based on the movie “Ink”

It’s a long walk down that hallway,
Even longer to find the key.
It’s a long fall into numbness—
But who knows what the end of the story may be?

I can tell from your scars your entry was painful—
A suicide, I’m guessing?
You know me—but not her?
Don’t remember what you were—
And you run from what you’re repressing.

You think I’ve an army to cover my back,
But I swear I’m completely alone.
No one’s coming for me—there is no trap,
For I came to find you on my own.

It’s a long walk down that hallway,
Even longer to find the key.
It’s a long fall into numbness—
But who knows what the end of the story may be?

This girl is your ticket to beauty and bliss—
Yet I see what you still deny.
You insist and pretend
She’s just a means to an end—
But why do I see guilt in your eyes?

She means nothing to you, you say now and said then,
She’s just a tool in this selfish endeavor…
You can cover your face with your hood once again—
But you can’t fight the truth forever.

It’s a long walk down that hallway,
Even longer to find the key.
It’s a long fall into numbness—
But who knows what the end of the story may be?

We will meet the Assembly in their hall of shadow,
Where innocence goes to drown.
You’re damned either way—
At least’s that’s what you say—
But this isn’t how it has to go down.

Take one last look as time flows from my veins,
Tell me you don’t feel something’s wrong.
You thought I was here for the lioness in chains…
But I was here for you both all along.

It’s a long walk down that hallway,
Even longer to find the key.
It’s a long fall into numbness—
But who knows what the end of the story may be?

This is what you will choose to be,
But there’s still time to write an alternate ending.
Look at that girl—tell me who you see—
And know there is no more time for pretending.

It’s a long walk into memory,
Made harder when shame won’t allow.
It’s a long climb up to redemption,
But you see now—yes…you…see…now…